Table 3. Quotes That Illustrate Each of the Main Actions Performed by a Sponsor.

Identifying Opportunities

“But rather than firing people, for most of the time, I found them other positions. I helped them transfer into a role that they like better and they would [find] more fulfilling.” (118) “I thought she had a skill set that was really valuable to the institution but she technically did not meet the qualifications. So I said to her, ‘Why would not you to apply anyway? And what I am going to do is write to the associate Dean recruiting this position and explain to them that why I think you bring some unique qualifications that would be a real strength to the institution in this position. And that I strongly encouraged her to apply because I did not want [them to think] she did not read the basic qualifications.’” (103)

Recognizing an individual’s strengths:

“The most important part of sponsorship is telling somebody that they can be successful because if no one has told them that they can be successful at this level or can accomplish X, then they would not even try. And so often, the first step towards sponsorship is making someone aware that this is something that is attainable.” (105) “He recently invited me to be a part of a publication for the [state] Academy of Family Physicians about leadership and what it's like to lead teams and I was like, ‘Really? You want me to do that? Why pick me?’ [he was] trying to be more inclusive of the diversity of thought and not saying, ‘I want you to do it because you're a woman or because you're a person of color. I want you to do it because I want to bring your information to the table from your lens of who you are.’ So that's pretty cool.” (120)

Encouraging Opportunity Seeking

“If I see opportunities, I will actually go to the people on my list and say, ‘Hey, did you see this? Are you interested in doing it? I would love to talk to you about it. How can I support your application?’” (111) “Then he would describe a particular position. He would say, ‘I am sitting on a committee. They are looking for X. And I believe you have the skills to fulfill that role. And, by the way, I have already given them your name and phone number. So when they call you say yes.” (116)

Offering Tangible Support

“I think a difference in the chair role is that I have a little bit more say sometimes in how the money moves. There are some faculty that have been able to say, ‘Hey, let us go into this strategic fund that I have here. What you are asking is important enough for you and the department that we are going to pay to send you to this particular session or this particular course.’” (112) “Once I got settled and I was looking for leadership opportunities, I basically found a way to protect part of his time paying salary so that he could become a leader. Basically, he is the champion of quality improvement and our Epic champion.” (109)

Optimizing Candidacy

“There was a call for papers and they wanted somebody to write on a topic. And I knew the person  leading that project and I said, ‘Hey, I have got someone that I will vouch that they will do a good job. I will give him a little mentorship on this end to make to kind of check in with them, but would it be okay if I gave you her number [and] put her in contact with you for this project?’” (112) “‘There is a committee that they are asking me for names for and I am going to put your name on that.’ And my immediate reaction was like, ‘Oh, great. Another committee for me...’ But I did not understand until I had done it, that it was the people I would meet, the relationships I would develop, those connections, how it was furthering... it helps you to know where do I get more information in this organization and expertise to help drive initiatives and things that we are working on.” (104)

Nominating as a Candidate

“He asked me for more [names] but I only gave him one. There were some other people who wanted to do it that I knew but I did not think that there was really anybody who do it as well as she would do it and she has actually done a great job so far.” (106) “Before that person announced she was leaving, I was already talking about the merits of the person that I was sponsoring. That she done a great job for our department, we had excellent results. She managed multiple problems, and she was just excellent at what she was doing. So kind of pre-empted. What I knew was going to happen eventually if the other person leaving.” (110)

Promising Support

“Once you get past that barrier then you can show them how to put together a package. You can make phone calls on their behalf, you can write letters of recommendation, and you could even be like a mentor. So, you can say that ‘If you accept Dr Smith into your fellowship, I will be available to Dr Smith to continue to work with him, watch him grow, and be invested in his success.’ And sometimes, having a senior person insinuate themselves into a decision process like that can make the difference in whether or not somebody gets chosen.” (105)